Boilers await in round 2

After drawing a first-round bye in the Big Ten tournament, the IU men’s tennis team will face Purdue at 3 p.m. Friday.

The Boilermakers (13-12, 4-7 Big Ten) defeated Iowa 4-2 Thursday to earn the matchup with the second-seeded Hoosiers (22-6, 9-1).

The teams last met March 12 in Bloomington, with IU prevailing 6-1. IU coach Randy Bloemendaal said the Boilermakers are a different team now.

“Purdue has made a big jump over the last month and they’ve got a very talented team, so they pose some problems,” Bloemendaal said.

The Hoosiers have had the best season since 1992, compiling a school record-tying 9-1 record in the conference. Despite this success, Bloemendaal said the team is still hungry heading into the postseason.

“This is kind of passion time and this is what it’s all about, so we’re really excited to be in the postseason,” Bloemendaal said. “One of the things we discussed was our likelihood of winning this tournament, and we think we can do it, so the guys are really excited about going and playing.”

IU senior Santiago Gruter said the Hoosiers have to be ready for the added intensity of the postseason.

“We know in the Big Ten tournament, every team you face, they’re going to be tough,” Gruter said. “There’s a different mentality there. We’ve done the things in the regular season to be in a good position and that’s good, but we can’t expect teams to lay down just because we are a two seed.”